1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the use of wireless communication devices on computer wired networks, and particularly to using such devices to access network audio content or audio services.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditional Internet usage relates primarily to text-based information. For example, conventional Internet xe2x80x9cchatxe2x80x9d services allow users to communicate by exchanging text messages which the users type in. A user selects a xe2x80x9cchat roomxe2x80x9d and proceeds to exchange text messages with other users in the chat room.
Modern voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies allow people to use Internet connections for real-time voice conversation, or listening to streaming audio without significant delays in sound transmission. Such technologies are used to implement Internet voice chat services, allowing chatting in a more natural manner than conventional text chats. In order to use VoIP-based services, a user""s PC is connected to the Internet by a wired network.
Mobile wireless devices (such as mobile phones) which weigh less than a pound and which can fit in a pocket have become common in recent years, allowing much greater flexibility and mobility for voice communications than desktop or even notebook PC""s.
It is convenient for users of mobile devices to have mobile access to Internet services to which they have become accustomed on their PC""s. Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) has emerged as an open standard for accessing Internet services from wireless devices. The WAP solution includes an intermediate server, the WAP Gateway, which connects mobile devices to the Internet. WAP is designed for browsing content and handling data transfers in a way analogous to standard Internet technology. Current implementations of WAP are oriented primarily toward textual information. Characteristics of currently used underlying bearers don""t allow real-time transmission of audio through the WAP protocol. It would thus be advantageous to provide a system and method for managing audio data flow between an Internet VolP-based audio server and a user""s wireless device.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of managing audio data flow between an Internet VoIP-based audio server and a user""s wireless terminal supporting the WAP standard. The invention relies on the Wireless Telephony Application (WTA) specification which is part of the WAP standard. WTA extends WAP with an interface to mobile network telephony services, making it possible to use a voice phone call as an audio path between a user""s terminal and an Internet audio server.
According to one aspect of the invention, the user initiates sending from the wireless terminal to a WTA Internet server a wireless session protocol (WSP) xe2x80x9cGetxe2x80x9d request identifying a service on an Internet audio server. The WTA server forwards the request to the audio server, which sets up a VoIP channel between itself and the WTA server. The WTA server sends the wireless terminal an instruction to automatically answer the next incoming voice call, and then places a voice call through the wireless network to the wireless terminal. Upon the wireless terminal""s answering the voice call, a voice path is established from the wireless terminal over the wireless network to the WTA server and thence over the VoIP channel to the audio server. As a result, the user""s wireless terminal is connected to the service provided by the Internet audio server.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.